Stiffening brace for flexible venetian blind slats



A. S. HAISLIP SLATS March 17, 1959 STIFFENING BRACE FOR FLEXIBLE VENETIAN BLIND Filed July 8, 1957 6 7 .ME. 8 m MM M n F B STIFFENING BRACE FOR FLEXELE VENETIAN BLIND SLATS Albert S. Haislip, Fredericksburg, Va. Application July 8, 1957, Serial No. 670,584

2 Claims. (Cl. -268) This invention relates to an unusually simple, practical and highly economical implement or device through the medium of which a user thereof is greatly assisted when using a damp cloth or rag to wipe and clean dust laden surfaces of the flexible slats of Venetian blinds.

As is well known, the great majority of present day Venetian blinds are provided with highly flexible and bendable plastic or aluminum slats which when wiped with a pressure-applied hand cloth twist, distort and become unruly under the pressure exerted while attempting to do an acceptable surface wiping and dusting job. Rather than resort to frequent wiping tasks, because the slats are limber and quite a nuisance to cope with, many housewives let the job go and eventually take the blind down and perhaps, as is customarily done, place it in a bath tub or the like for a bath. Without going into detail, this mode of periodical washing and cleaning has its outdoors drying and tap-shrinking and other drawbacks and disadvantages. Confronted with the varying aspects of the over-all problem, an acceptable solution has been worked out. That is to say, by providing a readily applicable and removable slat stiffener, each slat, especially the flimsy end portions, may be temporarily rigidified and brought under control, making it possible to systematically wipe and clean the slat surfaces without difiiculty and without having to take the blind down.

To achieve the results desired, a simple and expedient rigid slat-like stiffening brace is utilized and by holding and clamping it with ones hands against the blind slats, the latter become so stabilized that they nicely resist the pressure force's, enabling the blind slat to be held firmly with one hand while the wiping cloth is easily applied and used with the other hand. As stated, the novel stiffening brace is best used in conjunction with the easily distortable end portions of each slat and to accomplish this the brace has a clearance and locating notch which straddles the usual ladder tapes, making it convenient for the user to learn, almost at once, how to go about using the brace and how best to obtain access to the concave and convex surfaces of the blind slats. Also, the notch is centered between the ends of the brace so that the portions to the left and right of the notch function as selectively usable handles.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a fragmentary portion of a conventional Venetian blind, the improved slat stiffening brace or rigidifier, and how it is applied and used;

Fig. 2 is a section on the plane of the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

2,877,487 Patented Mar. 17, 1959 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modification of the device or implement by itself; and

Fig. 6 is, like Fig. 5, a perspective view showing a third embodiment or modification wherein the slats and tape at one end of the blind appear in phantom lines.

With reference to Fig. 1 a fragmentary portion of a window is denoted at 6 and the Venetian blind is denoted at 8, the cloth or rag which is used for dusting, Wiping and cleaning purposes is denoted at 10 and is held, in the showing, in the right hand 12. of the user. The left hand is denoted at 14. The Venetian blind is fragmentarily shown and the usual flexible aluminum, plastic or equivalent slats are designed by the numeral 16. The vertical ladder tapes are denoted at 18 and 2b, the lifting cord 22 and the slotted webs (Fig. 2) 24.

The implement or device itself, entitled stiffening brace or stabilizer, is denoted by the numeral 26 and, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 3 it is a rigid light in weight slat-like member. In an over-all sense it is a rectangular wooden or plastic strip member. As is brought out in Figs. 3 and 4 its width is such that the rounded longitudinal edge portions 28 and 30 extend slightly beyond the coinciding edge portions of the blink slat 16. Also the cross-section of the member is concavo-convex and the convex surfaces are denoted at 32 and the concave surfaces at 34. The member is divided centrally or midway between its ends by way of a clearance notch 36. The notch is of sufficient width and depth that it straddles or accommodatingly receives the ladder tapes 18 and 24). In line with the closed end of the notch there is a conveniently shaped outstanding integral flange 38 which is relatively short but extends to opposite sides of the notch 36 and provides a finger grip. This grip is used in applying and removing the device before it is brought into use in the manner seen, for example, in the phantom line showing of Fig. 2. The junctural connection 4i) may be such that the finger-grip sets up in a plane slightly above the plane of the convex surfaces 32. I

Although this device might perhaps be of a length corresponding to the length of a single blind slat it is preferably about a foot and one-half, more or less, in length. It is primarily adapted to stiffen the end portions, especially the outer end portions of the slats and the portions of the slats to the inward sides of the ladder tapes. By moving the device up and down one ladder tape side of the blind slats can be dusted and wiped one at a time. This is done by clamping the device against either the concave or convex side of the slat and either holding the slat horizontally as seen in Fig. 1, or when the bottom of the slat is cleaned turning it up to a slight angle for accessibility. The portions of the slats between the ladder tapes are usually fairly stiff when the device is in use and therefore, they too, may be wiped clean.

The device is applied as seen in Fig. 1 Where it is clampingly held against the slat, using one end portion 30 as a handle and changing to the other end portion when the latter is used as a handle and the wiping is done on the first named end portion. Experience is the best teacher in using a device of this type and therefore a more extended description is thought to be unnecessary.

At this point in the specification it is significant to point out that whereas the description so far emphasizes the one-piece construction from wood, commercial plastics or a suitable aluminum or lightweight material, it is within the purview of the invention to utilize, let us say, three component parts. Therefore, reference is made to Fig. 5 wherein the modified implement, as a new entity is designated by the numeral 38. One end portion at the left denoted at 39 has its inner end 40 spaced from the opposed parallel inner end 41 of the section 42. These two sections are coplanar and the edge portions 43 are connected together by a channel-like metal or equivalent bridge piece or connector 44, this being substantially in line with the marginal edges 43. Here what is provided is equivalent to a notch as at 36; or, it may be construed as components 39 and 43 with their adjacent ends spaced to provide an intervening gap to clear the ladder tape in the manner seen in Fig. 1, or, stated otherwise, to bypass the tape. The essence of the invention is therefore in having selectively usable components or braces 39 and 43 which may be used first as a handle and secondly as a brace as already specified. In other words when using the end portion 43 as a clamp and hand-grip the portion 39 cooperates with the'slat in providing a stiffening surface for the part of the slat which is to the left of the ladder tapes in Fig. 1. Therefore these components or handle portions are selectively usable. It is also to be noticed that the underneath side of the parts 39 and 43 may be fiat if desired. Preferably the top surfaces are slightly convex as in the form of the invention already described.

Taking up now the third embodiment or form of the invention seen in Fig. 6 it will be evident that by considering this in conjunction with the other forms, a significant aspect of the concept is to provide a brace which may be of either one-piece form, two pieces or several parts and which is elongated and has a handle portion at at least one end and bracing and rigidifying means at the other end. The intermediate portion must be such that it bypasses the ladder tape with which it is cooperable. In this form of the invention in Fig. 6 when the device is used at the right hand side of the blind for instance, there is an L-shaped member 46 having a long arm 48 and a lateral short arm 50, the end 52 of the arm 48 being fixed by fastenings or the like 54 to an edge portion 56 of a relatively short wooden or an equivalent complemeutal member 58. This member 58 is comparable to either end portion of the one-piece construction seen in Fig. 1 or for example to the left band member 39 in the modification seen in Fig. 5. In any event it can be used as a hand-grip by simply wrapping the left hand around the slat and said member 56 in such a way that the transverse edge portion or end 60 is spaced from the adjacent tape 62. This enables the arm or limb 48 to bridge or bypass the tape and allows the laterally directed terminal end 50 to underlie the end portion 64 of the slat 66. Thus the L-shaped member, more particularly the end portion 50 serves as a brace or support for the slat-end 64 and serves in lieu of the part 43 in Fig. or the part 32 at the right for example in Fig. 1. The other structural characteristics are similar to those already covered. No doubt by having revealed several embodiments herein the reader can appreciate that the original nature of this blind slat holding and stabilizing device.

There are of course other ways of accomplishing the same general objective and results and it is believed that these two forms of the invention will prove to be exemplary of the over-all concept. The claims are to be construed accordingly.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use while wiping and cleaning top and bottom surfaces of flexibly resilient Venetian blind slats with a damp cloth or the like; a readily insertable and removable rigid slat stiffening brace of a cross-sectional thickness appreciably greater than the cross-sectional thickness of the slat which is to be wiped clean and slightly wider than said slat so that the opposite longitudinal edge portions of the brace project slightly beyond the corresponding edges of said slat to prevent the edges of the slat from cutting the hands of the user, said edge portions being smooth-finished for comfortably handling the slat and brace together, that is, when the brace is positioned lengthwise of the slat and is clasped and held against one side of the slat with one hand while the other side is being wiped off with a cloth or the like held in the other hand, said brace being of a length that is capable of rigidifying portions of the clamped slat to the left and right of the usual ladder tapes, being also concave on one side and convex on the other side, being of a length that is neither unwieldy or such that it would noticeably interfere with the steps of applying and removing the brace, the median portion of said brace having a clearance gap one end of which is closed and the other end of which opens through one longitudinal edge of the brace, said gap being wide enough and deep enough to straddle and substantially encompass the vertical tapes of the over-all ladder tape, said gap defining stable end portions, one to the left and the other to the right of said gap, each end portion being of adequate length that it is adapted to aptly underlie and rigidly support portions of the slat to the left and right of the ladder tape, making it possible to lift and elevate the slat portions and to in this manner take pressure and weight off of the slat supporting steps of said ladder tape.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein the median portion of said brace is provided with a handgrip disposed on and projecting beyond one lengthwise side of the brace and connecting the end portions of said brace, and closing the gap and of sufiicient size that it is offset adequately to project beyond said one lengthwise side to serve as a hand-grip in piloting the brace into position and removing it, said hand-grip being of a length greater than the width of said gap so that the end portions thereof may constitute stops and guides in enabling one to keep the damp wiping cloth free of the ladder tapes to avoid unnecessary soiling of the tapes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,452,107 Cranney Oct. 26, 1948 2,566,474 Woodbury Sept. 4, 1951 2,622,256 Vojacek Dec. 23, 1952 2,733,473 Courser Feb. 7, 1956 

